Reviews

The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry by Wendell Berry

jagoiv's review against another edition

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5.0

I don’t agree with everything he says but I do agree with most of it. And most of it has been very impactful on my thinking.

duby89's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

raychel's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

So many good reflections on climate and politics. 

billyjepma's review against another edition

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I might come back to this, since Nick Offerman’s narration on the audiobook is very good, but the subject matter of these essays got a little tiresome to me, after awhile. I admire Berry’s conviction, for sure, but it started to feel one-note, and it’s been months (at least) since I’ve gone back to it. 

alyssackim's review against another edition

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Not interested in the rest of the essays in the book.

storybookvisitor's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.0

dllh's review against another edition

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3.0

I had never read Berry before and had always sort of meant to. I was a little disappointed in what I read of this collection (I skipped a few pieces). There is a sort of ethics in his thinking that appeals to me, but there is also at times a rigid curmudgeonliness that makes it hard for me to think of Berry as other than... "old man shakes fist at clouds." There is beauty in some of his writing, though sometimes he also belabors the extended metaphor a bit. If this book is representative of his writing overall, I reckon I'd like half or less of his writing and feel either pretty cool to or outright annoyed by the rest.

vverbatim7's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

borgh's review against another edition

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5.0

Some of Berry’s best; convicting, spiritual, wise, transcendent. Feels like he’s reading a paper from 2022 but the publish date is something like 1964. I’d assign it as required reading for anyone.

Bonus: the audiobook is read by Nick Offerman and it’s excellent.

melissahoward's review against another edition

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4.0

So there were essays that were dull - but I also made pages and pages and pages of highlights from this book. I also sent boatloads of texts with quotes to a dear friend from this book. I am sure my friend is glad that I have finished it.